Announcement: Darwin Core 2 -- Request for Comment

Blum, Stan sblum at CALACADEMY.ORG
Fri Aug 27 14:56:16 CEST 2004


Announcing an open review of the Darwin Core 2.

The Darwin Core 2 is a simple set of data element definitions designed to
support the sharing and integration of primary biodiversity data.  An
un-reviewed or informal version of the Darwin Core 2 is already being used in
conjunction with DiGIR in several biodiversity information networks,
including GBIF, MaNIS, OBIS, SpeciesLink, HerpNet, and OrNIS.

The Darwin Core 2 is now being proposed for consideration as a DRAFT standard
under the Taxonomic Databases Working Group (http://www.tdwg.org).  Two
collaboration tools have been setup to facilitate this review.  The first is
a web site (http://DarwinCore.CalAcademy.org) that supports distributed
authorship. (The web site is based on "Plone", which is like at wiki, but
more structured.)  The second is an email-list and newsgroup (archive)
located at 
http://circa.gbif.net/Public/irc/tdwg/dwcrev/newsgroups?n=dwcrev  (Register
and/or login at: http://circa.gbif.net/tdwg )

The web site is the best place to start because it presents an HTML
(readable) version of the Darwin Core 2, the "normative" version (an XML
schema), as well as background and summaries of pending issues.  These
summaries will grow and evolve over the course of the review.

The primary discussion, however, will take place on the mailing list.  Please
subscribe if you want to participate in this discussion and please use the
mailing list to ensure that your comments are seen by everyone interested.

A face-to-face discussion of the Darwin Core 2 will take place at this year's
TDWG annual meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand, Oct. 11-18.  If you cannot
attend, but would like your perspective and concerns to be addressed, please
participate in the electronic review.  It's the most practical way to get a
global community together.

Finally, please let me know (via email) if you have any trouble with either
the web site or the email list. 

Sincerely,

Stan Blum
Chair, TDWG Executive Committee 2004
Research Information Manager, 
California Academy of Sciences




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